Wellsville mayor thanks police, others for foiling robbery attempt

Tuesday

Nov 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 27, 2007 at 8:46 PM

At Monday’s village board meeting police officers and the department of public works and others were lauded for their actions on Nov. 19, which resulted in the capture of an armed bandit before he got out of town.

Kathryn Ross

At Monday’s village board meeting police officers and the department of public works and others were lauded for their actions on Nov. 19, which resulted in the capture of an armed bandit before he got out of town.

Wellsville Mayor Bradley Thompson thanked the village police department, Greg Sammons, Don Kane and Matt Heller of the Alfred State University Police; Bolivar Police Chief Rick Whitney; Allegany County Sheriff’s Department deputies, Kevin Ross, Dan Hanchett, Sheriff William Tompkins and Undersheriff Will Goetschius; New York State Police Troop A officers, and officers both on and off duty, Brian Johnson, Jeff Monroe, Mike Nye, Lt. Tim Walsh, Mark Bierman, Chad Green and John Doherty and dispatchers who responded to the scene.

But that wasn’t all, when Public Works Director Bill Whitfield told Thompson his men, Malcom Gordon, Steve Allen and Kevin Murphy heard the call they responded to block traffic, the mayor thanked them too. And when Wellsville Police Chief Steve Mattison said Town Highway Supervisor Dean Arnold, responded, “unasked,” with road barricades and phones, officers were freed up to respond to the scene, he also was thanked for his effort.

“Last week, on Monday, we had an event in Wellsville that has never happened before, and hopefully will never happen again,” Thompson said. “All Wellsville village police should be commended. I can’t remember the last time any of our policemen were shot at. A lot of officers who weren’t even on duty, heard the call and came out to help their fellow officers.

“Sometimes we hear a lot of debate as to whether our police force is worth the cost,” continued Thompson. “I think they proved they are last Monday.”

At around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 19, an armed man allegedly held up the Rite Aid Pharmacy on the Bolivar Road at gunpoint and demanded drugs. Although he escaped out a back door, his effort to make a clean getaway was thwarted by a retired sheriff’s deputy and on-duty village officers responding to calls for help.

The gunman was held at bay in a commercial van for nearly 30 minutes, and then made a run for it in the stolen van. A chase ensued, which ended when he was forced off the road and sheriff’s deputy Kevin Ross slammed his car head on into the van stopping it about a mile west on the Bolivar Road.

“There were only minor injuries and no one was wounded,” Thompson said. “The officers stopped the robbery attempt with competency and cooperation, and they should be commended for their work.”

Mattison said he had written letters of thanks to everyone involved and Whitfield said he is in the process of writing letters to his men who responded.